Meet Katrina A. Bruce, J.D.
With nearly 20 years of combined experience in Higher Education, College Access, and Workforce Development, Katrina’s professional experiences include working with underserved populations, as well as, nontraditional/traditional, first-generation, and continuing generation, college students and families.
Her notable achievements include brokering a training partnership with Google, resulting in a six-figure grant, upskilling youth and adults in Applied Digital Literacy; expanding recruitment initiatives supporting the pipeline of Northern Kentucky University African-American undergraduate students into the university’s Law School; managing private, state and federally funded skills training and college retention and success focused mentoring programs. As the Manager of Employer Engagement and Workforce Initiatives at MassHire Hampden County Force Board, a business-led, non-profit in Western Massachusetts, she provided statewide expertise in support of a multi-million dollar grant for expansion of Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship programs
As a first-generation student who overcame many personal and academic hurdles in achieving a post-secondary and professional degree, Katrina has dedicated herself to championing the success of others especially youth and young adults. She is the founder of the Bertha L. Bruce Scholarship for young women of African descent pursuing a degree in STEM. Her passion for community engagement and volunteerism is evidenced by her deep engagement in national, community, and school based organizations such as the Urban League, Dress for Success of Western Mass, and the Springfield Honors Academy Parent Guardian Advisory Council. A few of Katrina’s honors, awards, and achievements include the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellows Program, repeated distinction of the Salmon P. Chase College of Law Dean’s List, the Cincinnati Bar Association Auxiliary Award, the Judge William A. McClain Scholarship, the NKU African American Student Affairs Graduate Student of the Year, the Westover Job Corps 2020 Outstanding Partner Award and The Westover Job Corps 2021 Outstanding Community Leader Award.
Katrina holds a Juris Doctor Degree from Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law, a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the College of Charleston, and a certificate in Data Analytics. She is also a Certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner.